1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a photoalignment equipment and a photoalignment method.
2. Description of Related Art
Liquid crystal alignment processes for liquid crystal display panels include rubbing alignment method, photoalignment method, evaporation method, ion beam alignment method, nano-alignment method, etc., of which, the rubbing alignment method has been extensively applied in the industry. In the rubbing alignment method, rollers having fabric are used to rub on the surface of an alignment film, such that the alignment film is structurally orientated in the same direction. However, upon the rollers rubbing the alignment film, residual dust particles and static electricity are apt to be found in the alignment film, which affects the yield rate of panel products.
In the photoalignment method, a polarized ultraviolet light is utilized to emit to the alignment material formed on a substrate, such that the alignment material has optical anisotropy. Since the rollers rubbing on the alignment film are not required in the photoalignment method, the photoalignment method can improve the yield rate of the products and the stability of production equipments. In recent years, the photoalignment method has been performed on in-plane switching (IPS) panels. The conventional photoalignment method utilizes the ultraviolet light to emit to the alignment material on the substrate. Besides, a heating equipment and an oxygen providing equipment may be used to accelerate the reaction rate of the alignment material. However, the heating equipment and the oxygen providing equipment incur additional expense, and increase the power consumption of the photoalignment method, which hinders the reduction in the manufacturing cost of the display panels.